Evaluation of Soil Fertiity

MINISTRIO DA EDUCAO E DO DESPORTO

UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE VIOSA

DEPARTAMENTO DE SOLOS

36571-000 - VIOSA-MG-BRASIL

Viosa, February 8th, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

This is to certify that Dalton Belchior Abdala successfully completed my course entitled

"SOL 771 Evaluation of Soil Fertility" from August to December, 2007. The topical coverage

of the course was as follows:

Course objectives:

To study the methods and methodologies applied to research addressed to assess and to

correct some problems related to soil fertility.

Pre requisites:

Soil Chemistry

Soil Fertility

Statistical Methods and Experimental Designs

Class lecture:

Discussions on soil fertility

Elaboration o f a research project on soil fertility

Assignments and laboratory work

Reading of requested papers with topics related to soil fertility

To carry on a greenhouse experiment



DEPARTAMENTO DE SOLO


Grading:

%

Quizzes 45

Elaboration of a research project 5

Assignments and laboratory work 10

Reading of the requested papers 10

Greenhouse experiment 15

Final exam 15

Score Grade

A 88

B 74 87.9

C 60 73.9

D < 60

Lecture Classes

Topics:

1) Soil Fertility: available nutrients; concepts on soil fertility; reliability of

recommendations; methods to evaluate soil fertility.

1.1) Concepts on nutrient availability on the soil-plant relationship

1.2) Concepts on Soil Fertility

1.3) Degree of reliability on the generalization of fertilization recommendations

1.4) How to deal with such informations

1.5) Methods to evaluate soil fertility:

1.5.1) Chemical analysis

1.5.2) Biological essays





2) Soil Chemical Analysis: Theory and basic concepts; Soil sampling; Intensity, Quantity

and Capacity factors; Correlation and calibration methods; Soil acidity correctives

2.1) Theory and concepts on soil chemical analysis

2.2) Soil sampling

2.3) Intensity, Quantity and Capacity factors of a nutrient in soils.

2.4) Concepts on available nutrients

2.4.1) Correlation of methods utilizing soil chemical analysis data

2.4.2) Calibration of methods utilizing soil chemical analysis data

2.4.3) Perspectives on the utilization of soil chemical analysis data for the

evaluation of soil fertility:

- Relationships among available nutrient and the Intensity, Quantity and Capacity

factors

- Nutrient content in the equilibrium solution

2.5) Common extractant solutions and their characteristics and limitations

2.6) Nitrogen availability in soils

2.7) Cation adsorption:

- Percent Aluminum saturation and plant growth

- Liming

- Base saturation

- Acidity correctives: Al3+ excess in soils and thereof problems

3) Foliar Diagnosis: Advantages and limitations. Plant tissue sampling. Analysis process.

Methods for interpreting plant tissue analysis data.

3.1) Discussion on advantages and limitations

3.2) Sampling

3.3) Chemical Analytical Methods

3.3.1) Mineralization via wet combustion

3.3.2) Mineralization via dry combustion

3.3.3) Procedures commonly utilized in the determination of plant tissue

nutrients

3.3.4) Macronutrients

3.3.5) Micronutrients

3.4) Models for plant tissue diagnosis

3.4.1) Critical levels





3.4.2) Global nutrition

3.4.3) Physiological equilibrium

3.4.4) Kenworthy indexes

3.4.5) DRIS, M-DRIS

3.4.6) CND

4) Experimental Techniques on Biological Essays:

4.1) Greenhouse essays

4.1.1) Advantages and limitations, discussions on the experiment setup and

handling.

4.1.2) Neubauer Method

4.1.3) Stanford and De Ment Method

4.2) Microplot experiments

4.3) Field experiments

4.3.1) Advantages and limitations

4.3.2) Plot size and placement on the field

4.3.3) Experimental matrix

4.3.4) Factorial designs

4.4) Response curves

4.4.1) Mitscherlichs equation

4.4.2) Quadratic function

4.4.3) Cubic root of quadratic function

4.4.4) Square root of quadratic function

4.4.5) Andersons equation

4.4.6) Hildreths equation

4.4.7) Non-continuous models

4.5) Surface response models

4.6) Economical analysis of agronomic experiments

5) Fertilization Recommendation

5.1) Limitations

5.2) Fertilization programs

5.3) Recommendation tables and basic relationships (Cate & Vetori)

5.4) Fertcalc





Practice lecture:

1) Representation of the Results of Soil and Plant Analysis

1.1) Unit transformations

1.2) Preparation of chemical solutions for plant and soil analysis purposes

1.3) Titrimetry and complexometry

2) Research Project Proposal: A Greenhouse study

2.1) Title

2.2) Author

2.3) Characterizing the need for the research

2.4) Objectives

2.5) Material and methods

2.6) Bibliography

3) Chemical Analyses utilizing Spectrophotometric Methods

3.1) Atomic emission: K standard curve and analysis handling

3.2) Atomic absorption: P standard curve and analysis handling

3.3) Atomic absorption: Microelements standard curves and analysis handling

4) Carrying out the Proposed Work

4.1) Discussion on the proposed study

4.2) Soil material characterization: routine analysis

- pH

- P

- K

- Ca2+

- Mg2+

- Al3+

- H + Al

- Organic matter

- P-rem (P in the equilibrium solution)





4.3) Other Soil Characteristics Analyzed for Soil Fertility Purposes:

- CEC and liming

- P sorption: Langmuir and Freundlich Isotherms

- Available nutrients

5) Harvesting the Greenhouse Experiment

5.1) Plant dry matter weight

5.2) Chemical analysis of the plant material

5.3) Soil analysis and relationships between plant growth and nutrient content

The course corresponds to four academic credits. The class met for a total of 120 hours of

lecture (8 hours / week * 15 weeks). Mr. Abdala obtained a letter grade of B.

Sincerely,

Victor Hugo Alvarez V.

Professor, Evaluation of Soil Fertility

Evaluation of Soil Fertiity

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